South America on points: prices from five US gateways

Three bands, two price rows: Aeroplan's chart for South America

Page 6 of the Flight Reward Chart Air Canada dates 2026-08 covers travel between its North America and South America zones. Its zone map on page 2 draws the line south of Panama: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean belong to North America, and Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil belong to South America. A connection through Panama City or Mexico City therefore keeps a trip in the same pair of zones, priced on the total miles flown. On the same map, on the writer's reading, the isthmus from Guatemala to Panama sits on the North America side, and Costa Rica and Central America on points prices thirty US pairs against the Within North America table.

Each band has two rows. The first covers Air Canada and the select partners, a list the footnote gives as United Airlines, Emirates, Flydubai, Etihad Airways and four Canadian regional carriers. For those flights the chart prints a 'Starting at' price and a median drawn from member redemptions. The second row covers all other partners and prints one price per cabin. On this route that second row is the one that matters for Copa Airlines and Avianca, both of which appear on Air Canada's partner page and on the Star Alliance member list read October 30, 2026.

The 'all other partners' row has no premium economy price at all; the cell is blank. Premium economy appears only on the select row, so a United premium economy seat has a starting price and a median, and a Copa or Avianca premium economy seat has no printed price.

The bottom right of the select row is the number to remember. On the longest band, a United business seat starts at 60,000 points but its median is 115,800, nearly twice the floor, while a Copa or Avianca business seat on the same band prints 60,000 with no median beside it. The chart's footnotes say all amounts are one-way estimates, that 'Starting at' amounts are not guaranteed, that points vary with the itinerary and during high-demand periods, and that the points required are 'based on the actual distance flown between origin and destination.' How the two rows behave on other routes is set out in the guide to Aeroplan partner awards with bank points.

Twenty-five city pairs measured against the band lines

Because the chart prices actual distance, the first job is to measure. The table below gives the great-circle distance between each gateway airport and each destination airport, computed from published airport coordinates, and the band that distance falls into. These are straight-line distances; a connection adds miles, and not every pair has a nonstop. Read each cell as the shortest possible trip, and the band as the lowest Aeroplan can price it.

New York means JFK here; Newark sits within 15 miles of the JFK figure on every row (2,487 miles to Bogota, 3,647 to Lima, 5,123 to Santiago, 5,311 to Buenos Aires and 4,775 to Sao Paulo), so the bands do not change.

On the 'all other partners' row the lowest band is 20,000 points in economy and 40,000 in business, the middle band 30,000 and 50,000, and the top band 40,000 and 60,000. Three facts come straight out of the grid. Lima sits in the middle band from all five gateways. Bogota sits in the lowest band from every gateway except Los Angeles. And Santiago, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo split cleanly by gateway: Miami in the middle band, every other city in the top band.

Bogota: New York is 17 miles inside the cheapest band

From New York, Bogota is 2,483 miles, 17 under the 2,500-mile line, and from Newark it is 2,487 miles, 13 under. A nonstop on either prices in the lowest band: 20,000 points in economy and 40,000 in business on a partner outside the select row, or from 20,000 and 40,000 on United's select row, where the median for this band is 27,300 in economy and 40,000 in business.

Any connection breaks that. New York to Bogota through Panama City is about 2,677 miles flown, and Boston to Bogota through Newark is about 2,687; both land in the middle band at 30,000 and 50,000. So the Bogota decision from the Northeast is simple: a nonstop or nothing, at least on Aeroplan. Our figures are great-circle sums, and the booking engine uses its own distance data, which can differ by a few miles. At a 13 to 17 mile margin, price the exact flights before transferring a single point.

From the south and middle of the country, Bogota has room to spare. Houston is 2,228 miles, Atlanta 2,106 and Miami 1,513, all well inside the lowest band. Chicago is 2,711 miles away even nonstop, so Chicago to Bogota prices in the middle band however it is routed, and Chicago through Houston (about 3,153 miles) is no worse than Chicago through Panama City (about 2,801), since both sit between 2,501 and 4,500.

Lima: middle band from every gateway, and one routing that tips over

Lima looks uneventful on the grid: Miami is 2,622 miles, Houston 3,146, Atlanta 3,192, New York 3,645 and Los Angeles 4,176, all in the middle band at 30,000 and 50,000 on all other partners. Miami misses the lowest band by 122 miles, so no gateway reaches 20,000 points.

The edge cases come from the West Coast. Los Angeles to Lima through Panama City is about 4,477 miles, 23 under the 4,500 line. Los Angeles to Lima through Houston is about 4,522, 22 over, which moves the same economy seat from 30,000 to 40,000 points and the same business seat from 50,000 to 60,000. The two routings are 45 miles apart and 10,000 points apart. Aeroplan's policy also limits how far a routing can wander: the cumulative distance flown may not exceed twice the nonstop distance for that direction of travel, and Los Angeles to Lima through Houston, at about 1.08 times the nonstop, is nowhere near that limit. The band, not the routing rule, is what bites.

Lima is also the city where Aeroplan's economy price is easiest to beat. Routed through Mexico City on Aeromexico and priced by Virgin Atlantic, Lima costs 20,500 to 26,500 points in economy from all five gateways, depending on the gateway and on how a connection is priced; the Aeromexico table further down gives every combination. In business, Aeroplan's 50,000 stays the lowest printed price.

Santiago and Sao Paulo: why Miami saves 10,000 points each way

Miami to Santiago is 4,137 miles and Miami to Sao Paulo 4,085, both in the middle band. From New York the same cities are 5,119 and 4,762 miles, from Houston 4,664 and 4,912, and from Atlanta 4,716 and 4,667. All of those sit in the top band. On the 'all other partners' row that is the difference between 30,000 and 40,000 points in economy and between 50,000 and 60,000 in business, one way.

The Miami advantage survives a connection with margin to spare. Miami to Santiago through Panama City is about 4,145 miles and through Bogota about 4,154; Miami to Sao Paulo through Panama City is about 4,317 and through Bogota about 4,207. The closest of those is 183 miles under the line, which no reasonable difference in distance tables will erase. If a Copa or Avianca seat appears on one of those routings, it should price at 30,000 or 50,000.

Going the other way round does not help. A stop in Lima on the way to Santiago adds little distance from Miami (about 4,151 miles in total, still the middle band), but from New York it makes a 5,119-mile trip about 5,175 miles, already in the top band. For Sao Paulo from New York, a connection through Bogota is about 5,178 miles and through Panama City about 5,369, both top band, so the cheapest route from the Northeast is whatever nonstop or one-stop seat you can find at the 40,000 or 60,000 level.

Buenos Aires: three Miami routings within 76 miles of 4,500

Buenos Aires is where the band line gets uncomfortable. Miami to Ezeiza is 4,424 miles nonstop, 76 under the line. Through Bogota it is about 4,427 miles, 73 under; through Panama City about 4,482, just 18 under. Through Lima it is about 4,581, which is over. Each of these is a great-circle sum; Aeroplan's own distance data could put the Panama City routing on either side of 4,500, and it decides whether a business seat costs 50,000 or 60,000 points.

From everywhere else, Buenos Aires is top band without argument: 5,018 miles from Atlanta, 5,079 from Houston, 5,303 from New York and 6,127 from Los Angeles. Chicago through Panama City is about 5,657 and Chicago through Houston about 6,004.

Virgin Atlantic's Aerolineas Argentinas page adds a second way to price Buenos Aires. It uses a 10-band distance chart: 4,001 to 5,000 miles costs 25,500 points in economy, 47,500 in premium economy and 75,000 in business, and 5,001 to 6,000 miles costs 31,500, 57,500 and 85,000. Miami to Buenos Aires at 4,424 miles would fall in the first of those rows and New York at 5,303 in the second. The page lists standard and peak season months but prints only one set of prices, does not name the US routes Aerolineas flies, limits redemptions to Aerolineas-operated flights and says to book through the Flying Club team rather than online. Treat 25,500 as a price to confirm by phone, not one to transfer against blind.

KrisFlyer's flat price against each Aeroplan band

Singapore Airlines' Star Alliance round-trip chart, linked from the KrisFlyer Star Alliance award page and marked 'Effective 1 November 2025', prices by zone, not distance. The grid has one North America zone and one South America zone, and its country box lists Canada and the USA (except Hawaii) in North America and Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela in South America; Hawaii, Mexico, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama sit in a separate zone. North America to South America is 70,000 miles in economy, 143,000 in business and 201,000 in first for a round trip. The chart says a one-way award 'requires half the number of miles shown,' so one way is 35,000, 71,500 and 100,500. The KrisFlyer terms page still links an earlier edition marked 'Effective 5 July 2022', which prints 33,000, 65,000 and 91,000 one way, so a price quoted from that file is lower. Check the price on singaporeair.com before moving points.

A flat price makes the comparison mechanical. Against Aeroplan's 'all other partners' row, KrisFlyer economy is 15,000 points dearer in the lowest band (35,000 against 20,000), 5,000 dearer in the middle band (35,000 against 30,000) and 5,000 cheaper in the top band (35,000 against 40,000). KrisFlyer business is dearer in every band: 31,500 more than Aeroplan's 40,000, 21,500 more than its 50,000 and 11,500 more than its 60,000.

So KrisFlyer has one job on this route: economy from a gateway that puts the trip in Aeroplan's top band, such as New York, Houston or Atlanta to Santiago, Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo. It also changes the business math on United seats: 71,500 is 44,300 below the 115,800 median Aeroplan reports for its select row on the top band, so for a United business seat that Aeroplan prices well above its floor, the KrisFlyer price is the one to check. The chart notes that a one-way award with a stopover is priced sector by sector, that a routing exceeding the maximum permitted mileage takes a surcharge equal to the percentage of excess, and that round-trip awards start from US$40 in taxes, surcharges and fees.

Virgin Atlantic: a distance chart for Delta, a route chart for LATAM

Virgin Atlantic's Delta partner page carries an 'other routes' distance chart, and its list of other routes includes US to South America. It is one-way pricing that excludes taxes and surcharges, valid only on Delta-operated flights, including Delta Connection. Its bands are narrower than Aeroplan's: 2,001 to 3,000 miles is 22,000 points in Main Cabin, 46,000 in Premium Select and 66,500 in Delta One; 3,001 to 4,000 miles is 35,000, 57,500 and 80,000; 4,001 to 5,000 miles is 44,000, 75,000 and 105,000; and 5,001 to 6,000 miles is 49,500, 90,000 and 130,000. Like the Aerolineas page, it does not say whether a connection is priced on total distance.

Measured from Atlanta, that chart puts Bogota (2,106 miles) at 22,000, 46,000 and 66,500; Lima (3,192) at 35,000, 57,500 and 80,000; and Santiago (4,716) and Sao Paulo (4,667) at 44,000, 75,000 and 105,000. Buenos Aires from Atlanta is 5,018 miles, 18 over the 5,000-mile line, so it prices at 49,500, 90,000 and 130,000. A Delta One seat to Buenos Aires costs 25,000 more points than one to Sao Paulo because of 18 miles.

The LATAM page works differently. It prints two tables: one by mileage, which stops at 1,251 to 4,000 miles (25,000 in economy, 35,000 in premium and 50,000 in business), and one by route, which lists North America to Brazil or Chile at 37,500, 65,000 and 95,000. The page does not say which table applies to Peru, Colombia or Argentina, so LATAM is priced here only for Sao Paulo and Santiago. Redemptions are limited to LATAM-operated flights and are booked on Virgin Atlantic's site with the reward flight search. All four Virgin pages charge a lap infant 1,000 points in economy and 5,000 in business, and the Delta, LATAM and Aerolineas pages add 2,000 in premium. How Virgin's points behave on Delta more broadly is covered in using Virgin Atlantic points on Delta flights.

Aeromexico through Mexico City: the economy prices to beat

Virgin Atlantic's Aeromexico page uses the same 10-band distance chart as its Aerolineas page, without the premium economy column: 11,500 points in economy for 1,501 to 2,250 miles, 15,000 for 2,251 to 3,000, 20,500 for 3,001 to 4,000, 25,500 for 4,001 to 5,000, 31,500 for 5,001 to 6,000 and 37,000 for 6,001 to 7,000, with business at 35,500, 40,000, 60,000, 75,000, 85,000 and 100,000 on the same rows. Redemptions are limited to Aeromexico-operated flights and are booked online. The page does not list routes and does not say whether a connecting trip is priced on its total distance or flight by flight.

Because Aeromexico's network runs through Mexico City, the table below routes every gateway that way and prices economy both ways: first on the total distance, then as the sum of the two flights. Mexico City sits 766 miles from Houston, 1,275 from Miami, 1,332 from Atlanta, 1,553 from Los Angeles and 2,091 from New York, all great-circle figures, and every price assumes Aeromexico operates both flights on your dates.

Lima is where this chart matters most. From Houston, Miami or Atlanta it prices at 20,500 on the total-distance reading and 22,000 to 25,000 flight by flight, under Aeroplan's 30,000 on either reading. Houston to Bogota, at 15,000 or 18,500, is the only Bogota price on the grid below Aeroplan's 20,000. Houston to Santiago depends on the reading: 25,500 beats Aeroplan's 30,000 from Miami, and 32,500 does not. Atlanta to Lima, at about 3,970 miles, is 30 miles under the 4,000-mile line, close enough to price either side.

Business is a different story. Aeromexico's business prices never come in under Aeroplan's printed business price for the same city: the closest is Houston to Bogota, which ties Aeroplan's 40,000 on the total-distance reading and costs 51,000 flight by flight.

The lowest printed price for each city

Putting the charts side by side gives one row per destination. Each figure is a one-way price from the program's own page for the cheapest gateway and routing measured here, before taxes and fees. KrisFlyer's column does not vary, because its chart is flat. None of these is a seat that exists today; each is the price the chart prints if the seat appears.

Every lowest business figure is Aeroplan's fixed 'all other partners' price, the one a Copa or Avianca seat gets. Aeroplan's select row starts at the same numbers, but the medians (40,000, 50,000 and 115,800 in business) show how often United seats price above the floor. The Aeromexico and Aerolineas figures depend on those carriers operating every flight and, for Aerolineas, on a phone booking. For a wider view of which programs still print prices at all, see airline award charts that are still published.

What a point returns at six labelled fares

A points price means little until it is set against the fare you would otherwise pay. The table below rests on assumptions: the cash fares and the cash due on each award are inputs chosen for the example, not quotes, and none is a seat found on a search. Value per point is the cash fare minus the award's cash due, divided by the points. The last column shows the cash fare at which the award reaches 1.5 cents per point, a target used only for illustration.

The sourced pieces of the award cash are the US ones. The FAA's 2026 excise tax table sets the international arrival and departure tax at $23.40 per passenger, and TSA's September 11 Security Fee is $5.60 per one-way trip that starts at a US airport, capped at $11.20 per round trip. Aeroplan adds a CAD $39 partner booking fee per ticket that includes a flight not operated by Air Canada, and says reservations may include a US Tax Recovery Fee. Peruvian, Colombian, Chilean, Argentine and Brazilian charges are not quoted here; they appear on the booking screen, and the guide to award taxes and carrier surcharges explains how to read that line.

Check one row by hand: $430 minus $85 is $345, and $345 divided by 30,000 points is 1.15 cents per point. On these inputs, the short economy flight to Bogota returns less than a cent, so paying cash and keeping the points would make sense unless the fare is above $375. The business rows clear the target with room to spare even at United's median, which is why so many South America posts lead with business. If the Miami to Buenos Aires seat prices in the top band instead, 60,000 points, the value drops from 5.58 to 4.65 cents on the same inputs. You can run your own fare through the points value calculator, which uses the same cash-minus-fees method.

Starting the award in Miami: what the 10,000-point saving has to cover

Because Miami is the middle-band gateway for the southern half of the continent, the obvious question is whether to start there. Take Chicago to Sao Paulo on Copa through Panama City: about 5,492 miles, top band, 40,000 points in economy and 60,000 in business on the 'all other partners' row. Starting the award in Miami instead, Miami to Sao Paulo through Panama City is about 4,317 miles, middle band, 30,000 and 50,000. The award is 10,000 points cheaper in either cabin.

The positioning leg has to cost less than that. Booked as a separate Aeroplan award, Chicago to Miami (1,199 miles) falls in the within-North-America band of 501 to 1,500 miles: 10,000 points in economy and 20,000 in business on all other partners, and from 10,000 (median 15,000) in economy on the select row. In economy that exactly cancels the saving; in business it costs 10,000 more than it saves. A positioning award never wins on these numbers.

Paid in cash, the rule is simpler. Positioning pays when the cash fare to Miami is below 10,000 points times the value you put on a point: $150 at 1.5 cents, $200 at 2 cents. Two more costs belong in that comparison. Separate tickets mean a late first flight is your problem, not the second airline's, so a buffer night in Miami may be part of the price. And the saving depends on the Miami routing staying under 4,500 miles: for Sao Paulo and Santiago it does with more than 180 miles to spare, but for Buenos Aires through Panama City the margin is 18 miles, too thin to buy a positioning ticket against.

The same logic explains why Bogota from New York does not reward positioning anywhere: the nonstop is already in the lowest band, and any domestic leg in front of it pushes the total over 2,500 miles.

A family of four to Lima: seats, a lap infant and per-ticket fees

Two adults, a six-year-old and a lap infant flying New York to Lima and back through Panama City make a good test, because every rule in the Aeroplan policy shows up. The child needs a seat: the policy says children over 2, or turning 2 during travel, require their own seat and Flight Reward reservation, and it prints no child discount. The infant, under 2 and on a lap, needs a separate ticket at a discounted fare of CAD25 or 2,500 points per direction of travel, plus any taxes, with eligibility on partner airlines subject to that airline's rules. Only one lap infant is allowed per adult.

Three seats at 30,000 points each way come to 180,000 points for the round trip. The infant adds 2,500 each way, or 5,000, for 185,000 in total. The CAD $39 partner booking fee applies per ticket; if it also applies to the infant's ticket, four round-trip tickets make CAD $156, or $112.32 at an illustrative rate of 0.72 US dollars per Canadian dollar. The US taxes on three seated travelers, at $23.40 for departure, $23.40 for arrival and $5.60 for TSA, come to $157.20. That puts the known award cash at $269.52 before Peruvian charges and any infant taxes.

Against cash, at an illustrative $860 round-trip fare per seat and $90 for the infant, the family's fare would be $2,670. Subtracting the $269.52 leaves $2,400.48 of fare covered by 185,000 points: 1.30 cents per point on these inputs. That is a respectable number but not a remarkable one, and it is sensitive to the fare. The four-seat search itself, where all travelers must clear on the same flights, is covered in the family of four playbook, and lap infant rules across programs are compared in lap infants and kids on award tickets.

Stopovers, open jaws and the Western Hemisphere rule

Aeroplan permits one stopover per direction of travel, including on a one-way award, for up to 45 days, at an additional cost in points; stopovers are not permitted within Canada, the United States or China, and an open jaw is not allowed at the stopover point. For South America that makes Panama City, Bogota or Lima a natural stop. Miami to Santiago with a stop in Lima is about 4,151 miles, still in the middle band, so the stop costs only the stopover charge. The same stop from New York keeps the trip in the top band it was already in.

The policy's routing section adds a rule specific to this route: travel between North America and South America 'must travel wholly within the Western Hemisphere.' A routing through Madrid or Lisbon to reach Sao Paulo is out, however cheap the distance math might look. Within that limit, the twice-the-nonstop rule caps how far a connection can stray.

Open jaws are easier to handle as separate one-way awards. Flying into Santiago and home from Buenos Aires prices as two one-ways, each on its own band: from Miami, 4,137 miles out and 4,424 back, both in the middle band; from New York, 5,119 out and 5,303 back, both in the top band. Each award booked separately carries its own CAD $39 partner booking fee if it includes a partner flight. Changes on an Economy Standard award cost CAD $75 online or CAD $100 through the contact centre per direction, per ticket, and cancellations CAD $150 or CAD $175; booking through the contact centre adds a non-refundable CAD $30.

Bank transfers into Aeroplan, KrisFlyer and Virgin

All three programs priced here take transfers from more than one bank, but not from the same ones. These rows come from each bank's own transfer page, read on October 30, 2026; check them again on the day you transfer, because partner lists change.

Chase's transfer guide lists its airline partners without printing a ratio, says points typically move in increments of 1,000, and says most transfers process by the next business day but may take up to 7 business days. American Express prints paired minimums of 1,000 to 1,000 for all three programs. Bilt's current list has no KrisFlyer entry. Because transfers are final, the order matters on a trip like this one, where 18 miles can move the price: find the seat, confirm the price on the program's own screen, then transfer the exact amount. The mechanics are in how to transfer points to an airline.

Choosing the program once a seat shows up

Most South America searches end with a seat on one airline and a choice of programs to book it with. The airline settles most of it. A Copa or Avianca seat goes to Aeroplan's 'all other partners' row, or to KrisFlyer if the trip is economy in Aeroplan's top band. A United seat goes to Aeroplan if it prices near the floor and to KrisFlyer if it prices near the median. A Delta, LATAM, Aeromexico or Aerolineas seat can only go to Virgin Atlantic among these programs, and for economy to Lima or Bogota from Houston, an Aeromexico seat through Mexico City is the first one to look for.

Then measure. Add up the legs, compare the total with 2,500 and 4,500 miles for Aeroplan or with the band edges on Virgin's partner chart, and treat anything within about 25 miles of a line as a price to confirm, not assume. Finding the seats is a separate skill; how to search award availability walks through the search tools, and the destinations hub collects the trip guides for Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, and Australia and New Zealand.

If the trip is economy and long, the comparison with other long-haul economy redemptions in long-haul economy on points shows how South America's top band, at 40,000 points, stacks up against the Atlantic and Pacific bands, which is the next number to know before deciding where the points go.